Therapy? released their thirteenth studio album, 'A Brief Crack of Light', this week and from the off you instantly recognise the unique sound of this trio from Northern Ireland.

The first track 'Living In The Shadow Of A Terrible Thing' kicks the album off with the signature style that we've come to expect from this band, with a superb intro that warms you up for Andy Cairns distinctive vocals. They released this as a single in January and you can view it for yourself at the bottom of this page.

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After that the album contains all the experimental and alternative Metal reminiscent of bands from this era, and true to form Therapy? deliver a surprising, yet disjointed, collection of songs. 'Marlow' is a nicely crafted post-rock instrumental, 'The Buzzing', albeit a bit odd, has some great Metal riffage, and 'Why Turbulence' has an almost Southern groove to it. The closing track 'Ecclesiastes' can only be described as, well, eclectic. I'll leave you to figure out what it's all about.

The lyrics are, as ever, centred on the darker side of life, and I'm not sure I want to dig into the depths of Andy's mind to see where he drums them up from. Ranging from a pram in a cemetery, to cursed magic and birth being the death of someone, it's not Satanic but very angst ridden and ever so slightly depressing. Anyone that's met him will know that Andy's an incredibly upbeat and funny guy, so bizarre that his lyrics always focus on doom, gloom and loss.

This is miles away from their most successful album 'Troublegum' and not as accessible as their last offering 'Crooked Timber', but an album that will keep Therapy? fans happy. Whether this will widen their fan base is debatable, but it's still a strong release and is available now on Blast Records.

Don't forget, Therapy? hit the road in April with Skindred and Black Spiders, but you'll need to be quick as some dates are already sold out and the rest are close.